Biblio File, Stuff for the Teen Age, Children's Literature @ NYPL
The Life and Work of Author Richard Peck, 1934 - 2018
It was a sad day for readers and librarians of all ages when beloved YA and children's author Richard Peck passed away on May 23 at the age of 84. The author of more than 50 books for children, teens and adults, Peck left teaching in the 1970s to write, and never looked back. (Although, he was always speaking to young people in schools and libraries about writing and reading— so in a way, he continued teaching.)
He started by writing teen novels. His most iconic, Are You in the House Alone , published in 1976, is about a girl who’s raped by the town golden boy and nobody believes her. I remember my older sister bringing this book home in the early 80s, along with Peck's other big thriller, Secrets of the Shopping Mall. I was told that I was too young to read either books, so when I was finally old enough to read one, it was a big deal.
Mr. Peck was one of the first authors I met when I started working at NYPL in 1998. I told him how much his books meant to me, especially Remembering the Good Times (now sadly out-of-print), which deals with the impact of a teen’s suicide on a trio of friends and which had a profound effect on me.
I told him how I discovered his adult book This Family of Women while in middle school, about three generations of one family in San Francisco. When I explained how much I loved that book and that I had reread it many times, he was amazed that I had even found it and was touched by my love for it.
In the late 90s, Peck started writing primarily historical fiction for children, loosely based on his own childhood and family history growing up in Illinois during the 1930s and 1940s. Funny and breezy, many featuring the indomitable Grandma Dowdel, these books are wonderful, light reads to be enjoyed over and over again.
Over the years, Peck received many honors and awards including a Newbery for A Year Down Yonder in 2000, a Newbery honor and National Book Award finalist for A Long Way from Chicago in 1999, and the Scott O’ Dell Award for Historical Fiction in 2004 for his Civil War-set mystery, The River Between Us.
In 1990, he was honored with the Margaret A. Edwards Award for his "significant and lasting contributions to young adult literature." That was only for his first 20 years of writing—he still had another 30 to go!
If you were a child, teen (or teacher or librarian) at some point in the last 50 years, there’s a very good chance you picked up one of Richard Peck's books and loved it. If you haven’t yet, now is a good time to start! Here's a list of all his circulating titles currently in the NYPL collections.
Amanda/ Miranda (1980)
Reissued in 2012 for the anniversary of the Titanic's sinking, this is the story of an heiress and her maid whose lives become irrevocably entwined aboard the doomed ocean liner.
Are You in the House Alone? (1976)
Sixteen-year old Gail begins receiving threatening phone calls and notes from a stalker who seems to know her every move, turning her life upside down.
The Best Man (2016)
Sixth-grader Archer has a year he'll never forget. One that includes him being the best man at his beloved uncle Paul's gay marriage to his favorite teacher.
"The Best Man is my favorite out of his most recent books. It's warmhearted, tender and very timely." - Annie Lin, Children's Librarian, Mulberry Street Library
Fair Weather (2001)
In 1893, Rosie and her siblings have life-changing adventures when they travel with their grandfather from their Illinois farm to Chicago for the World's Fair.
Ghosts I Have Been (1977)
In 1914, young Blossom Culp gradually discovers she has the ability to see ghosts, a gift which leads her into unusual adventures. This has a bunch of sequels, most of which are now disappointingly out of print.
Here Lies the Librarian (2006)
In 1914 Indiana, tomboy and car enthusiast Eleanor has her whole view of the world upended with the arrival of four young, feisty librarians with a car in need of repair, and the determination to reopen the town library.
A Long Way from Chicago (1998)
During the Great Depression, Joey and his sister Mary Alice spend their summers with the worst influence imaginable—their grandmother! The sequel is A Year Down Yonder.
The Mouse with the Question Mark Tail (2013)
Mouse Minor, an orphan, runs away from the Royal Mews Mouse Academy of Buckingham Palace shortly before the celebration of Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee, to find out who he is and who he might become.
On the Wings of Heroes (2007)
During World War II, Davy idolizes his older brother, Bill, who flies B-17 bombers over Germany, as well as his father, who fought in the First World War and hoped he'd never have to send a son to war.
Past Perfect, Present Tense (2004)
Thirteen short stories including all of Peck's previously published tales and two brand-new ones. Also included are notes about how the stories came to be and tips to young people who want to write in the genre.
The River Between Us (2003)
In 1861, just as the Civil War starts, the Pruitt family in Illinois takes in two young, mysterious women from New Orleans as boarders: the beautiful Delphine and her dark, silent companion, Calinda.
The Teacher’s Funeral: a comedy in three parts (2004)
In 1904 rural Indiana, Russell's dream of quitting school and joining a wheat-threshing crew is ruined when his teacher inconvienently dies and his older sister takes over their one-room schoolhouse.
Three Quarters Dead (2010)
Kerry is chosen to join the coolest clique in school and begins to think her life has finally begun. But soon, her three new friends are killed in a shocking car accident. Or are they?
A Season of Gifts (2009)
In 1958, 12-year old Bob Barnhart and his family, who have recently moved to a small Illinois town, experience the magic of Christmas as bestowed by their larger-than-life neighbor, Mrs. Dowdel (the grandmother from A Long Way from Chicago and A Year Down Yonder).
Secrets at Sea (2011)
In 1887, the social-climbing Cranstons travel from New York to London to find a titled husband for their awkward older daughter, who's being secretly accompanied by Helena and her mouse siblings. Downton Abbey but with mice!
It's 1937 and 15-year-old Mary Alice is sent from her home in Chicago to live with her larger-than-life grandmother in rural Illinois, where she learns to appreciate her grandmother's more eccentric qualities. A sequel to A Long Way from Chicago.
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Mr. Peck
Submitted by John Babcock (not verified) on February 10, 2022 - 7:30pm